A Bazhir Bride
by oceanspike
Summary: This is after Lady Knight. Kel's 20, she's going out with Dom, and everything's perfect. Until she gets the news from her parents that she's betrothed to none other than...Zahir! This is a never-been-done-before pairing! KZ!
1. Betrothed?

Disclaimer:  I don't own anything that you recognize!

            Keladry knocked on the door to her parent's room.  She was taking a vacation from the war and her parents had said that they had wanted to speak with her privately in Corus.  Kel knew that something bad was going to happen.  They only spoke with her privately when something bad had happened.  She slipped on her Yamani mask when her mother, Ilane of Mindelan, opened the door. 

Ilane was a thin, elegant woman who was taller than her husband by nearly a head, with hair that had gone white very early in life, and a deep, musical voice.  The only thing Kel had from her was the height.  At age 20, Kel was about 6 ft.  She gave a false smile before walking into the room and sitting down in a chair directly across from her father, Piers. 

Her father was a short stocky man.  Kel had his build, delicate nose, and dreamy, long-lashed hazel eyes.  Her brown hair was several shades lighter than his.  Piers was uncomfortable under her direct gaze, but he masked it.  Her mother made tea as Kel sat in silence, absorbed in her own thoughts.

            _Did something happen to my brothers?  Did Maggur kidnap one of my family members?_ She thought, before abruptly shaking her head from those thoughts.  She wasn't the dramatic, imaginative person like her best friend Neal.  He must be rubbing off on her.  She focused on her tea, sipping it until her mother spoke.

            "Kel, there's something your father and I need to speak with you about," her mother said hesitantly, though her face betrayed no emotions.  Kel inclined her head, a sign that she was listening.  "There was an attack on Mindelan a few weeks ago.  The Scanrans wanted to destroy it, but luckily we had a lot of knights that were stationed near there, and we drove them off.  However," Kel grew tense as her mother paused.  "We don't have enough money to support the damages.  So there was only one thing we could do." Her mother paused again.  "So, we betrothed you." Kel set her cup of tea down quickly and glared at her parents.  She had known that this was what was going to happen if anything went wrong, but she hated it.  She quickly masked her emotions.

            "Who is it?" she asked after a while, getting her emotions under control.  Her mother seemed relieved that she had asked that question.

            "There was only one family that would take you.  She has a nice son, about 2 years older than you.  His name is Zahir ibn Alhaz.  He is a Bazhir.  I know that he was a page with you, and I figured that you two got along just fine considering the fact that he accepted being married to you," she said.  Kel's mind was in a whirlpool from the moment her mother had said that name.  _Zahir,_ she thought.  _I remember him.  He was one of Joren's cronies before he finally realized that it was stupid to knock around pages that were younger than him.  I haven't seen him since he was made a knight.  That was, what?  Four, five, years ago?_  Her mother cleared her throat, and Kel was brought back to the present.

            "I'll do it," she said, hiding her disappointment at the fact that she couldn't make the decision of who she would marry.  Kel's mother nodded her head in approval. 

            "I'm sure that you two will learn to love each other," she said.

"Do you get along all right?" Piers asked, silent up until then.

            "We get along fine, father." She said.  She briefly pictured her new betrothed.            With jet-black eyes and brown skin, Zahir was defiantly a Bazhir.  He had a nose that was proudly arched and walked with a lion's arrogance.  He was the most kingly Bazhir she had ever met, and he had good looks, to top it all off.  He was what every woman wanted in a man-strong, confident, and handsomeness.

            _I'll survive_, she thought to herself.  _He had stopped harassing the first years after about a few months, so we'll manage._

            "When's the wedding?" she asked, uncertain.  Ilene laughed.

            "Oh, don't worry.  You won't marry until a couple of years has passed, but I want you to reintroduce yourself to him soon.  In fact, he's going to be coming to Corus in a couple of days."  Kel looked skeptical.  "You'll be fine.  Now, go hurry off with your friends." She ordered.  Kel made a face before doing as she asked.

            She made her way to her rooms, lost in thought.  She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice her best friend, Nealan of Queenscove, until he ran into her.

            "Hello, sunshine.  Good morning," he said, cheerily.  Neal was a tall, fair-skinned, and lean, with striking emerald eyes and light brown hair swept back from a widow's peak.  Kel put her Yamani mask so he couldn't see how glum she was.

            "Morning, Meathead.  What are you doing up so early?" she asked, hearing the dawn bell in the distance.

            "My sweet Yamani rose wanted to see me early this morning about the wedding," he explained.  He saw her wince slightly behind the word 'wedding'.  Neal frowned.  "What's the matter, love?" he asked.  Kel shook her head.

            "Nothing, Neal," she replied, voice devoid of emotion.  Neal laughed.

            "You still think you can hide behind that mask of yours?  Don't you realize that I've known you long enough to tell when you're upset or not?"  Kel stared at him.  She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.  "Now, tell me the truth.  What's the matter?"  Kel hung her head, not wanting him to see her face.

            "My parents betrothed me," she muttered, too soft for him to hear.

            "What was that, Mrs. Mumbles?" he asked, reminding Kel of her old teacher at the Yamani Islands who punished her with slaps on the head if she didn't stand up straight and talk loud enough.  Instinct made her do so.

            "My parents betrothed me," she said more clearly.  Neal looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

            "You're betrothed?!" he squeaked.  Kel nodded her head glumly.  "Well, who is it?" he asked, still trying to get over the shock of Kel being engaged.  Kel paused.

            "Zahir ibn Alhaz," she said, bracing herself for the outburst.  Sure enough, it came.

            "WHAT?  WHY HIM?" he yelled.  Kel winced at the harshness.  Before she could answer his question, he cut her off again.  "WHY YOU?  WHAT HAPPENED THAT YOU HAVE TO MARRY HIM FOR?  THAT'S JUST STUPID HOW YOU HAVE TO MARRY THAT BUCK-TOOTHED-SON-OF-A-" Kel shot him a glare that made him rethink what he was going to say next. "-Cow?" he finished wearily.  Kel smiled.

            "Well, to answer all of those questions, considering they were mostly the same, Mindelan was attacked, and the Bazhir tribe that Zahir is from is the wealthiest.  Plus, it was the only family that would take me," she added.  Neal looked like he was about to say more until Domitan of Masbolle walked up.  Kel winced.  She and Dom had been courting for a while now, how was she going to break up with him?  Neal inclined his head in welcome, and left.  Dom grinned at her and leaned in for a kiss, but Kel stepped back.  His cyan eyes showed confusion as he leaned in again, but Kel stepped back that time too.

            "What's wrong?" he asked, not understanding.  He moved so that his back was to the light.  Kel was reminded of the time that she had first met him.  He was in his late twenties, broad-shouldered, big handed, and extremely handsome.  His mouth was made for smiling, though he wasn't right now.  His eyes were framed by wide, arched brows and set over a long nose slightly wide at the tip.  His nose was the only thing that suggested that he and Neal were related.  His cool fingers on her chin brought her out of her thoughts.  Kel jerked away from his touch, tears sprouting in her normally composed façade.  His mouth turned into a frown.  "What's the matter, Kel?" he asked, voice devoid of emotion.  More tears.  She turned away from him, ashamed of herself.

            "My…parents…betrothed me…" she said, choking the words out.  Dom just stood there, questions running through his head.  Finally, he voiced them.

            "What? How? When? Why?" was all that he managed to get out.

            "Mindelan was attacked from Scanrans about a month ago.  We need the money, and my fiancée, Zahir ibn Alhaz's tribe is one of the wealthiest.  I'm so sorry, Dom.  Really, I am.  I didn't want for this to happen," she said, tears running down her cheeks.  Dom sighed and looked at her.  She seemed so sad that this had to happen, but there was nothing that they could do.  His heart felt torn.

            "Is he nice, at least?" Dom asked.  Kel wiped away a tear.

            "I don't know, Dom.  I haven't seen him in a few years.  I'm probably going to move down south to his tribe, and live there for the rest of my life," she said gloomily.  Dom nodded.

            "I'm hungry.  Lets go to the mess hall," he said, changing the subject.  Kel was grateful.

            "Okay," she said, and they walked down the hallway, silent, lost in their own thoughts.

A/N:  I must be a tard, having 3 stories up at one time.  Its gonna be 4 soon, with the sequel to "if I ain't got you"…wow I'm dumb.  Okay, tell me what you think about this little chapter, and the idea of the story!  It will be a k/z-something that's never been done before! ::: gasp::: r&r please!

Oh, and also, review my stories:

If I ain't got you

An enemy mission

A Pro Knight

Thx a lot!


	2. Reacquainted

Disclaimer:  I don't own anything-you hear me??!! Nothing!

            A few days later, a knock was heard on Kel's door a couple hours before the noon bell.  She frowned, wondering who it might be.  She rolled her eyes.  _Probably Yuki begging me to go to the dress fittings with her,_ Kel thought_._  She shuddered.  Dress fittings meant dresses.  And dresses, meant…Kel winced at the thought…balls.  She opened the door.

            "I told you, Yuki, I-" Kel stopped abruptly when she saw who it was.  A familiar dark-skinned Bazhir stood at her door, looking bored.

            "I'd hate to tell you this, but I'm not Yuki," he stated in a deeper voice than she remembered.  Kel shook out of her shock, before opening the door and inviting him in.  Zahir accepted, walking in with the same arrogance as she remembered, only a lot _more_ so.  There was also a small scar on his arm that she didn't recognize.

            "What happened to your arm?" she asked, gesturing for him to sit in a chair while she got up and made tea.  His handsome face betrayed no emotion as he glanced at his arm.

            "I got it in the war," he stated shortly. Kel shook her head.  She busied herself with pouring the tea- it was her favorite.  It was a special kind of tea; the herbs needed could only grow in Yamani Islands.  Therefore, it was extremely expensive.  She gave him his cup and sat down across from him, sipping quietly.

Zahir was looking at her surreptitiously, but his eyes showed no hostility.  Kel dismissed the look as a way to see if she had changed at all since they had last met.  While he was looking at her, she used this moment to examine him herself.  He was still the most kingly looking Bazhir she had ever met, but something seemed to have changed.  He wasn't as unfriendly as he was before, but he wasn't making any moves to accept her yet.  His hair was cropped short just past his ears like they had when they were pages. 

She cleared her throat, and Zahir's calculating eyes met her calm ones.  He had the nerve to look away, a faint blush staining his features.  Kel continued to sip her tea as the Bazhir regained his lost pride.

"So, Kel, what have you been up to lately?" he asked.  Kel jumped slightly.  Her name on his tongue sounded weird to her ears.  She had never heard him say it before.  In their page years, he would either call her 'Lump' or 'The Girl'.  He continued as if he hadn't noticed.  "Have you committed treason anytime soon?" he said in a wry sense of humor.  Kel chuckled, which surprised him greatly.  She had never shown any kind of emotion as long as he had known her.  _Known as in fought,_ he thought to himself.

"Nope, not since I killed Blayce," she said, and smiled at him.  The Bazhir gave a small smile back.

"So the Yamani Lump _does _show emotions.  Now this is something I need to write down," Kel rolled her eyes.  They continued to create a conversation, until the noon bell rang.  Both jumped- they had lost track of time.  They made their way down to the mess hall, chatting like old friends.  When they entered, an eerie silence settled over the people.  Everyone knew about Kel's old relationship that she had with Joren and his cronies in her page and squire years.  Kel slipped on her Yamani Mask, and Zahir sighed.

"Here we go again, with the mask," he said, making a motion with his hand that resembled annoyance.  Kel rolled her eyes, as the conversations started up again and the mess hall wasn't so quiet.

"Whatever, lets go eat," she gave his arm a tug before walking to where the stacks of trays, plates, napkins, and cutlery was.  She grabbed every thing that she needed, reminding Zahir to grab vegetables.  The Bazhir grumbled something about women who were too bossy.  She gave him an innocent smile while he glared at her.  She made her way to where Neal was waving her over while Zahir went another way to sit next to Quinden, who Neal had once so charmingly put, should never have passed.  Of course, he was only joking, he never wished death upon his peers.  As soon as she sat down, Neal began pummeling her with questions.

"When did _he_ get back?  Is he mean to you?  I swear, Kel, if he laid one finger, just one, on you, I'll-" he said before she interrupted him.

"He got here today, Neal.  He was kind of stiff at the beginning, but after he relaxed, he isn't really that bad.  And no, he did _not_ hurt me, so stop threatening him!  I can take care of myself, you know.  Plus, he's my fiancé, which means you have to get along with him, okay?" she scolded.  The whole table stopped talking as Neal fumed to himself.

" 'Get along with him' she says.  Who does she think I am?  A god?" he muttered.  The table was still silent, until Owen piped up.

" 'Fiancée?' he asked, "when did you two get engaged?"  Kel rubbed her forehead.  She hadn't told the table yet, just Neal and Dom.  "I thought you were with Dom!"  Both she and Dom flinched at this.

"My parents betrothed me a few days ago, so we had to break it off," she said, putting on her Yamani Mask.  It still hurt her, and the day that she had broke up with him, she had cried all night.  Faleron looked at her curiously.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?  Then we wouldn't have been so surprised to see you walk in together, talking," he pointed out.  Kel sighed.  Did he _always_ have to ask such good questions that she didn't feel like answering?

"I suppose I didn't want you to go off onto a rampage, like Neal did," she said, shooting a glare at her best friend, who was still muttering to himself.  Faleron laughed at this, so did Owen.

Faleron of King's Reach was handsome, with dark hair and just as dark eyes.  He was easy going, and he knew more Tortallan law than every one of them.  He was also the cousin of Merric, another one of Kel's friends.

Merric of Hollyrose was a guy who had the reddest, straightest hair that she had ever seen.  He had pale blue eyes and a long broad nose that was covered in freckles, and his skin still had only the barest hint of a summer tan, though they were well into July. He almost had a fiery temper like the lioness, but his was more restrained.  He sat next to Owen.

Owen of Jesslaw was one of the cheeriest, feistiest, people Kel had ever met.  He seemed to love the word "Jolly" with a passion, and could always cheer her up with his impish remarks.  He had startling grey eyes, just like her old sweetheart, Cleon.

Though Cleon was posted somewhere up North, but she could still make out his face as if he were right there with them.  Cleon of Kennan was a big, cheerfull looking readhead who was one of Kel's most trusted friends.  He had the build of a tree, and just as hard as one also.  He and Kel had dated for a while, even though he was betrothed, and had lived in hope of him being able to talk his parents out of it.  It didn't work, and they were forced to break up. 

Neal's fiancée, and Yamani flower, as he called her, sat next to Neal.  She was a plump, peppery Yamani and was as stubborn as a mule.  She had the dark hair and almond eyes like all of the Yamani, but there was something special about the way she acted around Neal or Kel.  If not for her complexion, then you would never know that she was raised in the Islands.

The rest of Kel's friends were stationed somewhere up north, near the Scanran border.  This included black haired, black eyed, Seaver of Tasride;  Esmond of Nicoline, who's normal powdering of freckles she was sure had thickened. 

Dom sat on the other side of Neal, engaged in a heated battle with his cousin.  Kel's and Yuki's Yamani habits took their place, being quiet.  They listened to the cousin's bicker over what was more disgusting- spinach or broccoli.

"Broccoli is _so_ much grosser than spinach, Neal!  Its all flowery, and, just, ewwwwwwwy." Neal snorted.

"Nuh- uh.  Broccoli is way better than the spinach.  It's all _juicy_, and _icky_ and it just sits there like a lump.  Pardon my figure of speech, Kel," he nodded to her before continuing to bicker.

"That's enough, children.  I have a compromise- both spinach and broccoli are icky," Kel said, imitating Neal's voice.   The two cousin's thought it over, before nodding their heads in agreement.

"I suppose," Neal said.  "but spinach is still grosser!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is NOT!"

"Is TOO"

"IS NOT!"

"IS TOO!"

"IS-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"  the whole mess hall shouted.  Neal and Dom blushed sheepishly.

"They're all out to get us," Neal muttered.

"Yes, but more me than you," Dom added.  Neal looked at him.

"No they aren't!"

"Yes they are!" 

"NO!"

"YES!" 

Kel sighed.  It was going to be a looooooooong lunch.

Hello, my lovelies!  Thank you's are going out to:

Nolee- geez you're weird…I almost had Neal do a self-conversation, but I decided against it! Lol.  Oh yeah?  Well, Coconuts are _so_ much better than Banana's! yeah, you heard me, I said it!  GO COCONUTS!

Dreamerdoll-thanks, I'm glad that you like it- I was kinda hesitant on putting this out…

Kassi- I'm glad that it sounds good, but tell me if anyone is OOC, okay?  I need to know these things…

Mepb- there, I changed it so that Kel took it a little harder.

Keladry of Masbolle- I hope that you like this K/Z fic!

Abused guard- oh, yes, fun things are gonna happen with Kel and Zahir!

Dragon shadows- I hope that's a good interesting!

Ossini- Yes, it will be a K/Z!

Kore Yan- I love putting peps in suspense!…but I don't like it happening to me!

Gwen- You think my writings supurb?!  YAY! No one's ever said that to me before! :::does a little dance:::

Pinky- notice how I never said they were in love…but w/e, I changed it so that Kel took it a little harsher…

Emikae- oh, yes, great fun! I love writing (can you tell?)!!!!!

Mustang Gal- I updated a.s.a.p. lol! Thx for ur review!

Erkith- I did a search on both Yahoo! and , and none came up.  I think that everyone just forgot about the hott Bazhir…he's MINE.

MysticMoonEmpress- YAY! My story's cool! U just made my day!

OK, peps!  Review!


	3. Flying Lessons

Disclaimer:  Okay, you and I _both_ know that I don't compare to Tamora Pierce.

            As she slammed the lance into her opponent's shield and sent him flying, she heard the sound of clapping on the sidelines.  She flipped up her visor to see Raoul grinning like a maniac.  She was unable to keep the smile from her face, and turned to her opponent, who lay on the ground.  He groaned.

            "That's it.  I'm done with getting bruises from you.  I've got enough to last me another lifetime," he said.  Kel rolled her eyes and dismounted.

            "Honestly, Neal.  You'd think that by now you would have become immune," she said sarcastically, giving him a hand up.  She didn't need to see his face to know that he was pouting.  He lifted his helmet off, revealing exactly what she had thought.

            "Humph.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bathe and spend the rest of the day with my Yamani Flower," he drawled, hobbling off, still in his armor.  Kel shook her head, and lead Peachblossom toward Raoul, murmuring complements to her wonderful horse.

            "You wanna go for a _real_ challenge?" he said.  Kel groaned.

            "Not really, but I know it'll make me better," she commented, and watched as he went to go get his mount.  She patted Peachblossom on the nose.

            "You know, it's not ladylike to go jousting," a voice said behind her.  Kel winced at the scorn in his voice.  She slipped on her Yamani mask before turning to face Zahir.

            "Well, in case you haven't realized it yet, I'm not a typical lady," she said, no emotion in her voice.  Zahir rolled his eyes.

            "Well, since we are moving to my tribe after we get married, I'd hoped you would become more…" he trailed off, searching for the right word, "Feminine."  Kel stiffened at the word.

            "I am a knight of Tortall, _Zahir_," she said, struggling to keep the anger from reaching her voice.  Unfortunately, it did waver a little, but Zahir didn't seem to notice.  "That means that I don't do 'womanly' things."  Zahir looked at her.

            "Please do this, Kel," he said, surprising her by the softness in his voice.  She raised her eyebrows at his almost pleading gesture.  Seeing that he caught her attention, he continued.  "My tribe will think that you're not good enough.  They'll go back on the marriage, and we can't do that, Kel.  We need it so much."  Kel sighed.

            "How about a compromise?" she said finally, dimly registering the fact that Raul was coming back from the stables.  Zahir hesitated, than nodded reluctantly.  "We'll talk about this later.  Come to my rooms after dinner."  Zahir nodded again, and went off.  Raoul grinned, his helmet in his hand.

            "Ready for some flying lessons?" he asked.  Kel mentally groaned, her smart part of her head screaming, asking her what she was thinking. She shook it off and mounted Peachblossom, and went to the end of the lane. 

Picking up her lance, she whispered, "Charge."  Peachblossom thundered down the lane, and Kel stood up slightly in her saddle.  It felt so _perfect_, the way the wind smacked against her body, the way the lance was angled, and she could see Raoul coming at her with extraordinary speed.  And then, her body dimly registered pain in her side as she was lifted off the saddle, and she felt like she was taller than she ever was before.  She just barely remembered to slap the ground in time, and rolled onto her back, gasping for breath.  Peachblossom snorted as she got up, brushing herself off.  _What happened?_ She thought, _it felt so right.  Oh yeah, now I remember._  She thought of how she had spotted Zahir leaning on the fence, and that had caught her off guard.  She looked over to where she had spotted him.  He wasn't there. 

Kel shook her head.  She was beginning to imagine things.  She heard Raoul's mount come trotting over and she took off her helmet.

"What happened, Kel?  I've never seen you lose it in the middle of a joust before.  What caused you're abnormal determination to flicker?" he dramatized.  Kel snorted, momentarily reminded of Neal.

"Nothing, My Lord," she reassured, wincing at the fact that she called him "my lord".  He hated formalities.  He took off his own helmet, and frowned.

"'My Lord'?" he repeated, dismounting.  There was a lot of him to dismount.  At 6 ft 3, Raoul still towered over her.  His coal black eyes showed confusion.  "You haven't called me that since you were my squire.  I think that the force of the ground knocked the sense out of you.  A bath, and then off to bed with you."  He commanded.  Kel shook her head.

"I'm fine, Raoul.  I think that it was just a weird moment.  But I think that I've had enough jousting for today.  Maybe tomorrow we could do it again."  Raoul nodded as Kel led her mount away towards the stables.  As she brushed him down, she ran through her earlier conversation with Zahir.

_I hope he doesn't expect me to wear anything…inhuman," _she thought, thinking of dresses.  She involuntarily shuddered.  She could feel her anger rising.  _If he thinks that he can just command me, and I'll do it, than he's wrong._ She continued to think enraged thoughts, not even noticing that the brush was being pressed down firmer and firmer onto Peachblossom's coat.  That is, until he stepped on her foot.  Kel yelped and dropped the brush.

"Sorry, Peachblossom.  I didn't mean to hurt you," she said to her horse.  Peachblossom snorted once, and then turned his head, indicating that she was forgiven as long as she would be careful.  After she had finished, Kel went to go take a wondrous bath.

A/N: Yay!  Sorry that its so uneventful, and now its time to thank my wondrous (I love that word) reviewers!!

Dreamerdoll: :::rolls eyes::: whatever.  Do as you wish, and go "do something drastic", just as long as you review first! Oh, and you have to finish ur stories two!

Nolee: don't worry, I have a new idea for a k/j fic, and that rating will be bumped up to R! yay!  I'll talk to you about it tomorrow with the details.   Or the next time we IM each other.  Okay, um, whats this about you marring another girl?  Specifically, Miranda?  You're weird…u said she was just a "side-dish", off of Joren! I LMFAO when she told me about that!  GO YOU!

Gwen:  yes, Mia tormentors!  Mwahahahahaha!

Keladry of Masbolle:  of course I'll read it!  You just have to tell me ur penname and stuff!

Pinky: NUH UH!  Spinach is soooo much grosser.  I love broccoli!

Kassi:  I LOVE both of them!  GO NEAL!…and Dom.

Fugitive:  don't worry.  I hate it when peps make Joren's or Vinson's or whoever's relationship with Kel too fast.  It drives me insane!

Kendrie-PsychoMuffinEater:  don't steal the plot, but you can steal the pairing!  I'm trying to start a new trend: K/Z fics!  Will you join the recruits of Me, Gwen, and Sammy?

Kore Yan:  Patience.  The fluff shall come.

Living People: thanks.

Dragon shadows: I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!

PsychoLioness13:  yummmm!  Cookies!  Well, as I said before, I'm trying to recruit new peps to write a k/z fic!  Come join us!

Hawiiangirl:yay! I'm on author alert! I'm on author alert!  Ahem…

Mepb: define "choppy" for me…thx.

Ossini:  I LOVE Zahir!  HE'S MINE!

Queen-of-sapphires:  thanks for telling me. :::shrugs::: they pretty much ARE kids to me… w/e.  I love them for it!

Mystic Moon Empress:  I'm glad I made ur day!

Lynsi:  actually, I let Nolee have Joren.  I'm WAY more interested in hott, foreign men.  :::drools:::

Allimba: is that a good interesting or a bad interesting?

Emikae:  thanks.  I'm glad you think it was funny…I don't really like this chapter, though…

Jumping jo:  I'll add ur idea next chappie!

Glaive grl: I guess he did.  :::shrugs:::  I made this chappie a little more realistic.  Its so hard to get his character down because Tammy barely mentions him in the PotS series…

BloodSoakedTiger: where did you get that name?  It's very…interesting…

Sora Icefreeze: I hope that's a good woah…

DaughterofDeath: here! A new chapter!

Hessel: thx lots!

Lady Angelique of mystiqu:  here, I kept up my end of the bargain.  I updated, and you got YIM.  We're even.  Oh yes, but my ruler is better than ur straw!

OMG, guys! 44 reviews??!! GASP! That's a new record!  Keep going!


	4. Dos talk

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, I don't own. Anything you don't, is mine…which I think is only the plot…

DEDICATED TO NOLEE, BECAUSE WHORE'S ROX MY SOX! JK. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, MY GOOD FRIEND!

After dinner, Kel was busy practicing her glaive, when a knock on the door interrupted her. She frowned in confusion at who it would be, but then remembered that she had told Zahir to come by so they could talk. For some reason, the thought of Zahir made chills go down her spine. _Stop it,_ she scolded herself. _I need to be able to speak with him without stuttering like an idiot._ She walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hello, Zahir," she said, letting him into her room. The handsome Bazhir brushed past her gently and into her room. She led him to her bed, where she sat down. He sat beside her.

"Kel, I-" he started.

"Zahir-" she began at the same time. They both stopped and looked at each other. Finally, Zahir continued.

"Keladry, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I had no right. After all, you _are_ one of Tortall's greatest knights," Kel blushed, but Zahir didn't seem to notice, even though his eyes were on her face the whole time. "I didn't mean for you to give up everything, its just that my tribe will expect you to dress and act like a 'proper' woman," he said. Kel spoke up before he could continue.

"Zahir, I apologize for the way I acted. I shouldn't have been so harsh. I was overly generous when I said that I didn't do womanly things. I wear a kimono every once in a while, and sometimes I even wear face paint. This, however, isn't very often, because of my line of work. _Our_ line of work," she corrected herself. Zahir opened his mouth, but Kel cut him off. "I know that you're tribe will expect me to do things like wear a veal, but I won't do that Zahir. I can't. Plus, you and I both will be out, fighting. So you can see, I can't be the kind of wife that sits around, cooking, sewing, and so forth. Most of the time when we're home, I will do that, but I can't promise that I'll be good at it." At this comment, Zahir smiled.

"Okay," he said. "Truce." Kel grinned. Suddenly his smile faded, and he leaned towards her. Kel's eyes widened, but she unconsciously moved towards him also. Their lips met for a brief moment, but then Zahir pulled away. He searched her eyes for a second, before capturing her lips again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his went around her waist, pulling her closer. When Kel felt his tongue softly outline her lips, she opened her mouth. Zahir's tongue flew in, and she nipped at it playfully. Zahir responded by pulling her towards the bed. He put his mouth on her neck, and began to suck. Kel arched her neck for better access.

They were interrupted when Kel's door flew open, and there stood Dom. Kel looked like a deer caught in the headlights, whereas Zahir merely glared.

"Don't you ever knock?" he asked, a slight edge to his voice.

"Don't you ever breath?" Dom spat, glaring at both of them.

"I'm sorry, but I missed the part where you were allowed to open people's doors without knocking."

"Oh shut up, you son of a-"

"Stop it!" Kel screeched. "Go. Just…go," she said. Dom glared once more at Zahir, the promptly turned and left. Zahir glanced at Kel. "Yes, you too. Leave, please." Zahir searched her eyes for a second, then got up and left, softly closing the door. Kel put her head in her hands. _What have I gotten myself into?_ She asked herself. There was a knock on the door. _Please don't let it be them,_ she thought, before getting up and opening the door. Neal stood there, looking bored.

"Hello, sweetling," he joked, before going into Kel's room. He noticed the bed was rumpled. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" he asked. Kel decided that Neal didn't have to know the truth.

"Yeah, I did. Thanks for waking me up," she said, biting her tongue. She hated lying.

"No problemo," Neal said, ruffling her affectionately. "You want to talk about it? Sometimes when you talk about it, it makes you feel better. Or I could put a sleeping spell on you," he said. Kel shook her head.

"Its okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?" Kel sighed.

"Yes, Neal, I'm positive."

"'Only fools are positive.'" Neal quoted.

"You're crazy," Kel said. Neal snorted.

"Crazy? I used to be crazy. They locked me up to die. Die? I don't wanna die. The mice might get me. Mice? I don't like mice. They drive me crazy. Crazy? I us-"

"That's ENOUGH," Kel said. Neal looked sheepish. "Why are you here, anyway?" Kel asked. Neal looked indignant.

"What is this? I can't come and visit my friend?" Kel made no move to respond to his foolishness. She just stared at him, until he grinned. "Ok, ok, there _is_ something. Yuki is going to the Yamani Isles for a week because her grandfather died, so she'll miss your birthday. She didn't know him that well, but I can still tell she's sad. I can't go because I might be called for battle. Anyways, she doesn't want to miss your birthday, so she's gonna come later this night. Okay?" Neal took a breath. Kel raised an eyebrow. She had forgotten that her birthday was this week. In two days, to be exact.

_Shit,_ she thought. Neal turned to go.

"Oh, and Kel. You got a bruise on your neck. I don't think I can heal it for…certain reasons. Anyway, you might want to cover it up with a scarf or something. Ta-ta." He waved as he left. Kel rushed to the bathroom, and looked in the mirror. On the side of her neck, was a _very_ visible hickey. Her gasp could be heard through the halls.

A/N: YAY! I DID FLUFF! THAT'S A FUN WORD:FLUFF. FLUFF, FLUFF, FLUFF…THAT'S ENOUGH. OOOHHHH…CAPS LOCK. HE-HE. I'M TO LAZY TO TAKE IT OFF! HA HA. WOAH. I'M HYPER! OFF GOES DA CAPS LOCK! Much better….ok, time to thank my LOVELY reviewers!

Nolee: you're so weird. Do you know that in your review you bounce from subject to subject? Idiot. :::sighs::: y do you ALWAYS have to have your acknowledge thingy the biggest? Isn't it ENOUGH that I go and dedicate the chapter to you? huh? Obviously not. Harrumph. Whore. Bitch. Jk.

Vicky: I love your name. I'm going to call you vickster from now on. Eh? Of course you love me! Who doesn't? Don't answer that if you're reading this, Nolee!

Kaz: this IS the same Nolee that we're talking about, right? We BOTH know that she's weird. This shouldn't surprise you…

Sammy: NOT DA FORK! EEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIILLLLLLL! Well, I have a spoon, so NYAH!

Mystic Moon Empress: thanks lots. Hope you enjoy this chappie.

Pinky: BACK OFF! ZAHIR'S **_MINE_**!

Sora Icefreeze: plz DO write one! I want to start a new trend 'member?

Gwenny: No, I am NOT happy…jk.

Darkmoonlit: I can love him! :::sighs dreamily:::

Angel: you're weird…

Mepb: where did you go?

Allimba: okay, thanks.

Sexy Sephiroth Stalker: the fluff bunny shall take over da world! Mwahahahahaha….

christiangrl247 : I have fluffed…

dragon shadows: to be honest, I'm kinda disappointed in this chappie…

ossini: Zahir is **_MINE!_**

BST: okie dokie!

Kore Yan: I've updated!

FanFictionFantom: thanks. Broccoli is VERY good, and spinach is too!

Hidden Relevance: oh YEAH! I love hott, foreign men!

Moonlit Wanderer:as you can see, I chose the update! Lol.

Lynsi: No, the rating's not gonna get bumped up…if u want THAT go to my other fic, One Knight Stand.

PsychoLioness13: it doesn't matter! Just do it! Like nike!

Kiwi: o…k….riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight….:::backs away::: jk!

DestinyHunter:w/e! he's still HOTT!

BB: one word: FOOL.

Anya: hey! Only 4 more thank you's! :::ahem:::sorry. Oooooohhhh! 0o ßdos face. Lol. Thanks lots!

Parcheezie: yay!

Fen in the Sky with Diamonds: as I said before…who couldn't love me?

Jumpin jo- I shall, but I think next chappie!

YES! I AM DONE WITH MY THANK YOU'S! YAY! :::throws a party::: OMG! 78 REVIEWS?????!!!!!!! YOU GUYS ROCK! PLZ GET ME UP TO 100 THIS TIME! JK. THAT'S A LITTLE TOO MUCH TO ASK! R&R, PORFAVOR!


	5. Tantrums and birthdays

Disclaimer: I dun own anything that you recognize. But da plot tiss mine! Hehehe. ß tiss a kitty! nya nya

DEDICATED TO BRE! I must apologize for the fact that I wrote a lot of A/Ns in the middle of the story…just letting people know how I feel.

Dom stormed down the hallway, to Neal's room. How could she? That…._ slut_! How _dare_ she just go and…. UGH! He banged his fist on Neal's door, denting it. A muffled "hold on" was barely heard, but Dom didn't care. He punched the door, his hand cracking with an audible _crunch_. Dom bit his lip to keep from screaming. Neal opened the door and glared at Dom. Then he saw his hand. Sighing, Neal placed a hand on Dom's as green magic laced his fingertips. Dom felt coolness go through his hand, but it did nothing to his hot head.

"What took you so long, damn it?" he asked, glaring at Neal, who finished and returned the glare.

"If you _must_ know, I was on the can!" he said. A few court ladies that were walking by giggled. Neal blushed as Dom hit his head with his fist.

"I _swear_ our family is retarded," he said. Neal grinned at him.

"Cheer up. You're related to me," Neal said. Dom groaned.

"Don't remind me."

"Well, you didn't come here just to break my door, so why are you here?"

"I caught Kel and Zahir kissing."

"So? They're betrothed."

"But they were doing a little _more_ than that, Meathead." Neal thought about this for a second.

"A little more than kissing? …..OH GODDESS! Bad images!" he banged his head against the wall, then punched it, causing it to crack. "SHIT!" he yelled, before healing his own hand.

"Now I _know_ we're related…" Dom muttered. He saw Neal turn green from the effect of bad thoughts. "No, meathead. They weren't having sex." He saw the color return to Neal's face. At least, the _natural_ color.

"So they weren't….you know…." Neal made a couple motions with his hands that made Dom want to bite them off. He shrugged. "I saw the hickey on her neck. Its not that bad." He saw Dom go red with fury. "Oh stop it. You're being more dramatic than _me,_ and that's something to say." He watched Dom storm off, and returned to his room, shaking her head.

Kel made her bed, running through what had happened just a few minutes ago. Zahir had _kissed_ her. More than that, though. She blushed, forcing the image out of her head. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't forget the feel of his lips on hers, the taste of him in her mouth. Another knock on the door startled her out of those _adult_ thoughts, thankfully. _Wow, I must be more popular than I thought,_ she thought, opening it to reveal Yuki, holding a long box..

Yuki walked in before sitting on Kel's newly-made bed. "Happy early-birthday, Kel!" She said, shoving the gift into Kel's hands. Kel sat beside her friend, unwrapping it. Her jaw dropped when she saw it.

In the box was a glaive. On it was engraved, _the best friend to a man is his sword, but to the Yamani women, their best friend is the glaive._ Kel met Yuki's eyes, knowing that she hadn't loved her friend more than this moment. She reached over and gave Yuki a hug, putting all of her strength into it. Yuki emitted a squeak before pushing her best friend away.

"There's more," she said, gesturing for Kel to continue. Kel frowned before looking closer into the box. There was a miniature one in there, no longer than the size of her hand. Kel opened it to reveal….face paint. Yuki burst out laughing at the expression on Kel's face. Kel was shocked. She hadn't expected _face paint._ Of all the things, face paint was the least expected.

"Thanks Yuki," Kel said, smiling at her friend. Yuki grinned back, rare emotion showing for a Yamani.

"You deserve both of it," she said. " I noticed that you're glaive was getting pretty worn out, so I bought you that, and you're becoming a woman. Face paint is a must, especially now that you're getting married." Yuki's eyes started to fill up, even through her Yamani Mask. "Kel, you're growing up! Soon you will be moving on, and won't have time for me!" (a/n: this is what I wanna write: "Kel nodded. 'Yeah, but its too late for that.' Soon a meteor came crashing down on Yuki. Kel later found out that Dom had gotten a meteor crushing too, and Kel felt neither pain nor regret. Finally those bitches were gone." OOOHHHH…SOOOO BAD…..)

Kel shook her head. "Don't worry, Yuki. You'll be my best friend, no matter what happens." She hugged her, letting Yuki know that she meant it. (a/n: pfffftttt). Yuki wiped her tears away.

"I'll see you in a couple of weeks." Giving her friend a final hug, Yuki left.

Kel sighed. Man, life sure was complicated. Deciding to go for a walk, Kel locked up her room.

As she walked through the palace gardens, she felt a hand cover up her eyes, and another go around her mouth, pulling her towards an unknown stranger. This 'unknown' person put their lips on Kel's, and she struggled, before recognizing the taste and feel. She smiled and pulled away, the person letting go of her mouth but not her eyes,

"Naughty naughty," Kel said, grinning even harder. The person let go of her eyes, and she looked to find the person she had expected His lips caught hers and she let his hands trail down to the hem of her shirt. Kel's heart thudded as his hands found their way underneath. His fingertips grazed lightly against the small of her back, while his tongue pried entry into her mouth. Kel broke away for a breath, while Zahir mearly nibbled her neck, and going down to her shoulder. Pushing away the cloth, he began to chew on her shoulder. Kel slowly sucked and kissed the side of his neck, which was the only thing close to her. She pulled away.

"I'm hungry," Zahir said, taking his hand in hers and lacing his fingers through her own. Kel smiled.  
"Then lets go eat," she said, leading him towards the mess hall.

A/N: Okay, I updated. YAY! I was going to end it before she walked through the gardens, but then I figured it wasn't nice of me to just end it without giving you a little somethin-somethin. Thanks to all of my reviewers. K out!

kit


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